using RDP like VNC

[OmegaXero]

I don't like VNC as much as RDP and it has serious issues with low bandwidth connections. However, VNC is useful to me at work because I use it to view the actual session that a user has open. If someone calls me with a problem I can connect directly to them and actually view the exact error that they are getting on screen. With RDP it forces them to logoff so that I can log into their machine. Is there a way to change this so that I could effectively interact with the open session of a user that is locally logged into their computer?

 

[MrChad]

Remote Assistance allows this. It's an XP/2003 feature though, AFAIK.

 

[OmegaXero]

I have remote assistance already enabled. My understanding is that with remote assistance enabled the user has to request remote assistance before I can shadow them. Some of my users cannot do this (don't ask, its pretty bad sometimes). I need a way to be able to force RDP to connect in remote assistance mode even if the user did not request assistance.

 

[mrbill14]

If you log-in as the same user, I believe that works. (Assuming that user has rights to log-in remotely to the machine. If not, add them in to the Remote Desktop Users group first.)

 

[OmegaXero]

That's a really good point, I didn't think about using their username to login with RDP, I'll have to try that. The only problem is that I have 300 users in 28 branch locations and there's no way I can keep track of their passwords.

 

[OmegaXero]

I just tried logging in with the same username, it still forces the screen on the user's computer to display "this computer is currently in use by Mr. ABC and has been locked". However, when I log in with their username it does let me see the applications that they had open, so at least that's a start. Now I just need to be able to interact with their session in real time.